Big injury boost for Leeds United's Championship promotion rivals as 5-game and 12-month absentees return
Burnley will hope to close the gap on Leeds United when they host Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow evening.
Scott Parker insists Burnley are in a ‘good place’ when it comes to injuries, with winger Luca Koleosho the latest to return to full fitness.
Burnley have little room for error if they are to stay in the automatic promotion race, with last weekend’s 0-0 draw at Preston North End allowing Sheffield United and Leeds United to pull clear. Daniel Farke’s side are now seven points clear of the third-placed Clarets, having come from 1-0 down to beat Sunderland 2-1 on Monday.
Koleosho has missed his side’s last five games after picking up a knock in training last month, a run in which his attacking threat was missed as the Clarets twice drew 0-0 against Portsmouth and Preston. Club captain Josh Brownhill had also been absent for several weeks but came off the bench in the latter stalemate at Deepdale last weekend.
Jordan Beyer, Aaron Ramsey and Mike Tresor remain sidelined for the foreseeable future but with Koleosho back, Burnley will be close to full strength when they host Sheffield Wednesday on Friday evening. And speaking ahead of that game, Parker provided a positive update on his squad ahead of a promotion race his side cannot afford to slip up in.
“He's back now,” Parker told the Burnley Express of Koleosho. “He's been training with us for the last week. We're in a good place, to be fair. Injury-wise, we're on the right side of that and people are coming back fit. The squad's in a good place. There’s no real injury update in terms of us. We go into this game as strong as we can be. Obviously, the long term is still out and still coming back.”
There is even hope some of those long-term absentees can contribute as Burnley look to catch one of Leeds or Sheffield United come May. Centre-back Jordan Beyer returned to training around the festive period, having twice undergone surgery on a knee injury, while Ramsey is set to join his teammates on the grass this week.
The 22-year-old has been out for just over a year after being stretchered off during a Premier League defeat to Arsenal in February 2024, with scans revealing a serious knee injury. There have been the usual setbacks that often occur during such periods but Parker hopes to have the midfielder back before this season is up.
“He's progressing well,” Parker added of the long-term absentee. “He had a tiny little bit of a setback last week, but he's back with us. I think he comes back into training with us tomorrow. He's moving in the right direction, Aaron, and we're really pleased with his progression. Obviously, it was a big injury, but he's moving in the right direction.”
Burnley can close the gap on Leeds to four points with victory on Friday but face a Wednesday side who still harbour hope of a late play-off push. Any dropped points will hand either the Whites or Sheffield United another huge chance to increase the cushion on their top-two rivals when the pair meet at Bramall Lane on Monday.